Chapter 4

“Lila?”

The voice was soft yet familiar, pulling me from the daze I hadn’t even realized I’d slipped into. My heart skipped a beat as my eyes flicked up. There, standing before me, was Max. His presence felt like a breath of fresh air, like a reminder of a time before everything had gotten so complicated.

"Max?" I whispered, barely able to believe my eyes. It had been so long, I had almost convinced myself I would never see him again, not like this, not in the middle of all this chaos.

He stood there, smiling that trademark smile of his, the one that could always melt the walls I’d so carefully built around myself. His eyes were warm, his gaze settling on me like we hadn’t missed a beat. But it wasn’t just the familiarity that threw me off, it was the way he seemed to radiate comfort, like no time had passed, like everything was still okay in the world.

“Lila,” Max said again, his voice filled with relief and disbelief. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

I could hear the genuine shock in his tone, but there was also something else, a sense of connection that tugged at me in a way I hadn’t expected. It was almost like nothing had changed, like the years apart had only been a blip in the larger story of our lives.

For a moment, I stood frozen, caught between the past and the present. “What are you doing here?” I finally managed to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

Max’s eyes softened as he glanced around. “I’m in town for business. You know me, always chasing a new deal. But when I heard about the hotel project Drew’s working on and decided to check it out. He paused for a moment, giving me a once-over. “You look good, Lila. Really good.”

It was a simple compliment, but coming from him, it felt like more. Max had always had this way of making me feel special, like I mattered in a world that often made me feel small and insignificant. I couldn’t help but smile, even though a wave of guilt washed over me at the thought of everything I was keeping hidden. The pregnancy. Drew. The confusion that had taken over my life.

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Max,” I said, my smile faltering as a wave of emotion surged through me. How could I have known that a casual day at work would end with this, this unexpected encounter with someone from my past, someone who had always made me feel like I mattered?

“Neither did I,” Max replied, his voice filled with a warmth I hadn’t realized I’d been craving. “But I’m glad I did. It’s been too long.”

“You’re still as charming as ever, I see,” I said, my voice teasing as I tried to cover the emotional crack that had appeared.

Max’s grin widened, but his eyes stayed soft, genuine. “What can I say? I’m good at what I do.” He glanced around, his tone shifting slightly, a more serious edge creeping in. “But enough about me. What about you? How’ve you been?”

I hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. The last few months had been a whirlwind of confusion, with Drew’s coldness, my pregnancy, the job at Drew’s hotel; it felt like my life was hanging by a thread, and I wasn’t sure I had the strength to untangle it all. But with Max, it felt like a safe space, like maybe I could share a little of the weight on my shoulders.

“I’ve been... managing,” I said, offering a smile that I hoped hid the turmoil inside. I didn’t want him to see how fragile I felt.

Max’s eyes flickered with an understanding I hadn’t expected. He stepped a little closer, lowering his voice. “Lila, you don’t have to do everything on your own. You know I’m here for you, right? Always have been.”

His words were like a balm to my soul, soothing the raw edges of my confusion. Max had always been there for me, in his own quiet way. He never judged, never pushed too hard, and that was something I hadn’t realized I’d missed so desperately until now. 

I met his gaze, feeling the pull of his warmth, his genuine care. Maybe it was foolish, but for a moment, I allowed myself to believe in the comfort he offered.

“You’ve always known exactly what to say, Max,” I said, my voice quieter now, the weight of my emotions catching up to me.

“I just speak the truth, Lila,” he replied, his gaze holding mine with a quiet intensity. “You’ve always been someone worth fighting for. Always.”

A strange fluttering sensation took root in my chest. I wasn’t sure if it was the familiarity of his words, or the sheer longing for something more, but something stirred deep inside me. It had been so long since I felt truly seen, truly understood. 

Drew was nothing like this. His coldness, his emotional walls, it had left me feeling like I was chasing shadows, trying to grab onto something that didn’t want to be touched.

Max, on the other hand, was warm. Real. Someone I could lean on, someone who would never make me feel like I was too much or too little.

“I’ve missed you, Max,” I admitted before I could stop myself, the words slipping out more easily than I thought they would.

Max’s expression softened even more, if that was even possible. He reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face, his fingers lingering just a moment too long. “I’ve missed you too, Lila. But I’m here now. And I’m not going anywhere.”

It felt so good to hear that, to feel his reassurance like a promise wrapped around me. But just as the warmth of the moment began to settle in, I felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere, a presence I couldn’t ignore.

Without even looking, I knew who it was. I felt the chill in the air before I turned around.

Drew stood in the doorway of the lobby, his icy blue eyes locked on us with an intensity that sent a jolt of anxiety through my spine. His posture was rigid, his jaw set in a hard line. He didn’t need to say a word for the tension to be palpable. It was there, hanging in the air like a storm ready to break.

Max didn’t seem fazed. His gaze flickered from Drew to me, but he maintained his calm, a confident smile still playing on his lips. But I noticed the slight narrowing of his eyes, the faintest tension in his shoulders. Max wasn’t intimidated by Drew, but I could tell there was an unspoken challenge in the air, something neither man was willing to acknowledge out loud.

“Drew,” I said, forcing my voice to sound casual, though my heart was hammering in my chest. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Drew’s eyes didn’t meet mine for long. Instead, they were fixed on Max, the hostility in his gaze unmistakable. “Lila,” he said, his voice cold, detached. “I didn’t expect to see you here, either.”

Max, ever the cool customer, shrugged. “I was just catching up with an old friend. We go way back.”

Drew’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might say something cutting, something to assert his dominance. But he didn’t. Instead, he took a step back, his cold eyes lingering on me one last time before he turned and walked away without a word.

I exhaled slowly, my body still tense from the encounter. The silence between Max and me stretched on for a moment, and I could feel the weight of the unspoken question in the air.

“What was that about?” Max asked, his tone light but laced with something deeper. “You two don’t exactly seem like best friends.”

I gave a small, rueful laugh. “Hardly. He’s... complicated.”

Max raised an eyebrow. “I’ll say. But I’m not going anywhere, Lila. Whatever’s going on with him, it’s not going to change the fact that I’m here. And I’m here for you.”

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. Max was here, and despite everything, despite the tension with Drew, I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, I had a chance at something more.

But what exactly that would be, I wasn’t sure. Not yet.

All I knew was that I was caught between two very different worlds, one filled with cold distance and unanswered questions, the other with warmth and something that felt like safety.

And I wasn’t sure which one would pull me in first